Customer Reviews

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen thinks her dreams have come true when handsome, wealthy and mysterious biker Travis Becker starts paying attention to her and giving her mind-blowing kisses. At the same time, her sometimes-father pays a visit and Ruby barely recognizes her usually competent librarian mother as she caters to his whims. Ruby doesn't understand why people love where it doesn't make sense, until it happens to her. While she sorts out these feelings, she becomes involved in helping a senior book club member find her long lost love. HONEY, BABY, SWEETHEART is about finding yourself and compassion for others.

Ruby and her brother's pain at seeing their mother hurt over and over again in the same way by their father is also a nice parallel to the mistakes Ruby makes with Travis. When Travis turns out to be someone other than Prince Charming, she finds that it's not so easy to make logical judgments and walk away, even when it would be the right thing to do. Ruby's mother reminds her that she is only human herself, and at least they can support each other.

Everyone has made dating mistakes, and readers will easily relate to Ruby. Deb Caletti, author of THE QUEEN OF EVERYTHING, once again comes through with a believable teen narrator. While the pace is slow at times and readers will be yelling at Ruby not to make some of the choices she does, the subplot involving the book club and Ruby's relationship with her mother makes this book unique and worthwhile.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

It is a good book. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart is about the one thing everyone can, on some level, relate to--love. Love is important and effective, no matter how old or a young a person is.

The message of the book is that everyone has a story. No one is ever how you perceive them. They have a past. They have secrets. They have a life that you don't know about. Elder people aren't just old. They became that way. Therefore, they were once young and experienced much of the same that we do today. They had an adventure. Life's an adventure.

I did like the book. I was able to relate to it on several levels. There were times, though, when I felt as if the writing was lagging. It started to slow down. Other than that, it was great.

"We are all a volume on the shelf of the Nine Mile Falls Library, a story unto ourselves, never possibly described with one word or even very accurately with thousands."--Deb Caletti, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, page 301

I enjoyed the characters in Deb Caletti's first book, "The Queen of Everything" and was not disappointed that the characters in "Honey, Baby, Sweetheart" where even more tender and amusing.

Ruby is a 16 year old who most teens can either relate to or admire. Caletti has a way of getting into her characters feelings and expressing them so well that I felt as if I knew them before...especially the Casserole Queens who reminded me of some of my mother's aunts! I love the Casserole Queens! Ruby, Chip Jr. and Mom's relationship with them is so funny and sweet. I admit that I cried more than once while reading this book! I often laughed out loud too! I like how Deb Caletti describes things. She makes it easy to visualize each scene.

I like the message that I got out of the book...there is more to life than boys!

I think that this is a book for all ages...older people will love it as much as I did. It would make a fun movie.

Mrs. Caletti did a wonderful job with this book. her characters are wonderfully developed and real. the plot is new and engaging. my favorite character was Poe the dog.
i promise you that when you turn the last page, there will be an unparalleled feeling of joy and happiness.

I thought this book was amazing. Possibly the best I have read next to Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen. I was captivated by Ruby's tale and found it nearly impossible to put the book down. Mostly I enjoyed how much I was able to relate to Ruby and all the little morals in the story were great.
I highly recomment this book to everybody. It's a great read and chances are you will enjoy it as much as I did :]

This book changed my life. This book changed my life. (Once more, with feeling: ) THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE. I think it should be required reading for anyone with ovaries, regardless of age. I'm going to butcher the story by trying to one-liner it, but it's basically a good girl falls for a bad boy arc, with so many phenomenal character sketches and side plot lines. The main character's mom runs a book group for the elderly, and those characters do amazing things throughout it, including the scene that made me put the book down because I was crying too hard. She deals a lot, in a perfectly developed but still subtle way, with expectations put on girls vs expectations on boys, even as kids-that boys get to be adventurous and how it's supposed to be enough for the girls to settle for having the boy and not having the adventure. "Boys get mountains, girls just get boys." Every word of this novel is perfect. National book award finalist, as well.

This was even better than her first book The Quuen Of Everything, that I loved. It's also got lots to say, and a plot that keep your turning pages and keeps you up at night. The characters you just love and feel sad when you turn the last page and have to see the end of them. I loved Harold, and Poe, the dog. The old people are especially hilarious and my favorite part is when they are all in the car on their trip. This is great reading and something to tell your friends about. Read it, you won't be sorry!!!

This book was so much fun to read. I loved the interaction with Ruby and her brother, Chip Jr. it reminded me of my own sister and brother, especially when they play games with each other, like the "things i hate most" game. Ruby is the type of character that you can really identify with. that's what makes this book so special.

Travis Becker is a bad boy. He's got a motorcycle that he parks defiantly on his green lawn and a funky attitude to go with it. He is the new boy in town. New, rich, dangerous. The complete opposite of Ruby Mcqueen. The quiet girl with a few embarrassing stories to her name.

This book is about Ruby letting go of her reputation and embracing her wild, reckless side. It leads her to a small bit of trouble and she finds it's not all it's cracked up to be. Along the way she finds new understanding about why her mother still pines for her no good father and learns from an old couple, what love is.

Caletti's style of writing is, "Tender and poetic" to the T. This book is exploring and unforgettable with a cast of hilarious characters.

Usually, a book has one main story, but in this book there are two stories connected by one girl. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, by Deb Caletti, is a National Book Award Finalist. It is about a young girl named Ruby McQueen who falls in love with "bad boy-daredevil" Travis. When things between them start to go downhill due to Travis' juvenile behavior, Ruby is forced to leave the boy she loves. The story then collides with the hunt for the husband of her mother's friend. Very old in years, she is kept at home by her two daughters, but longs to find her husband once again. The search for her husband is successful, but ends tragically. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart is a book would recommend for young adults. As a girl, I feel that this book would be enjoyed more so by girls than boys. The plot is hard to follow at times, and it surprises the reader when Travis, a main character, suddenly disappears so fast. The end of the book is stops at a completely different place than where it started, and almost made me feel like things were left unfinished. This is not to say the book was not worthwhile. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it, but it is not my favorite book of all time.